1 There are a lot of things to look at in your classroom: art projects on the wall, classmates finishing their work, a teacher moving up and down the aisles. If you listen closely, there are a lot of things you can hear too: the faint sound of a pencil moving on a blank piece of paper, the clock ticking away the minutes until recess, and quick footsteps in the hallway. Now imagine that almost in an instant, you can no longer see or hear any of those things. What would your life be like? It may be like Helen Keller's.2 Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880. She was a very healthy baby. Then something tragic happened. Helen became very sick when she was just one and a half years old. She developed a terrible fever. Her doctor called it "brain fever." For days her mother, Kate, tried to comfort the young girl. Her family feared that she would die. They were thrilled when she recovered, but soon noticed that the fever had left her different. In fact, it left her blind and deaf.